Lesson 6B

Prayer & Fasting

Keep your eyes focused on God
God created you and every provision for daily renewal of your mind, body and spirit. He wants
to give you wisdom and nourishment and health. There is an inexpressible peace that comes to one who
has learned to trust in God and to lay all things in His hands through prayer and fasting. Worry, stress,
and depression bring decay, disease, and death. The foundation of all health is in the acceptance of the
blessings which the Creator has provided for us. Foremost of these is the privilege we have of choosing
our Savior to be our Guide as well as our Great Physician. In fact, the divine purpose of our physical
healing is to make us more inclined to accept the spiritual healing Christ longs to perform upon our
hearts. There may be times when we may not discern His wisdom in certain events. It is on these
occasions that we have the opportunity to honor Him by our faith and by our actions through prayer
and fasting.
By being obedient and doing what we hear Him say, whether in the physical or spiritual realm, we
can discover that He is guiding us on our way to complete healing. The scripture tells us that there are
certain things that happen through prayer and fasting. Prayer helps us keep our needs, our joys, our
sorrows, our cares, and our fears before God. There is no event too dark for Him to heal; there is no
perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to
Him. Fasting helps us bring communion, obedience, deliverance, and wholeness by giving the body a
time of rest and rejuvenation and giving the mind and the spirit a chance to focus attention on God.

Isaiah 58 is an excellent verse concerning fasting. I recommend reading the entire passage. These

two verses in particular are God's promises concerning our well being when we fast. 8Then your light
will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will
go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 11 And the LORD will continually guide
you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like
a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
History has proven that the body can heal itself from many serious conditions by fasting because it
allows the body to rest, detoxify, and concentrate all its energy on healing instead of digestion. It is a
wonder then why more people don't fast. There are over 80 references to fasting in the Bible. It is an
established, proven, practical, Biblical discipline, ordained by God. Some people think the idea sounds
strange or fanatical. If it were dangerous or something to fear, God would not have commanded us to
do it His word.
There are many religions in which fasting is regular spiritual practice. There are also many people
who fast who have no religious affiliation, but want a natural cure or cleansing for the body. Some
methods of fasting people do includes a seven-day internal and spiritual cleansing at least twice a year
as part of a regular wellness program, or a one-day cleansing fast each week, year round. The main
importance of a fast is to clean out your body. A fast unto God is to prayerfully seek Him as you
cleanse your mind, body and spirit, a fast of obedience done to His glory. There are many wonderful
things that happen not only to our body, but also to our spirit and soul as a result of fasting.

Possible Benefits of fasting:

to break through a depression

to invite the Lord to create in you a clean heart and renew a right spirit

to resist temptation

to help when you life seems out of control

to humble yourself

to receive divine guidance, revelation, or an answer to a specific problem

Even though the motive for fasting must be spiritual and the spiritual results are the most important,
the physical benefits are also great. If you fast regularly you will find that you are less susceptible to
colds, flu, sinus problems, and various allergic reactions. For a deep understanding on fasting unto
God there are many great books that are devoted entirely to the subject such as God's Chosen Fast by
Arthur Wallis. I highly recommend that you take the time to study the topic more thoroughly.
Everyone, whether healthy or ill, would benefit from cleaning out the impurity's of this world and
seeking God whole heartily on a regular basis. It is a cleansing of the spirit, soul and body all at the
same time.
Physically our bodies are constantly eliminating poisons through the lungs, skin, bowels and
kidneys. When you fast, the body is free to do the thing it does best, which is a natural self-healing and
cleansing process. Fasting eliminates poisons from the system very efficiently. When you feel a minor
illness coming on, a fast can sometimes prevent its development, The liver and gallbladder are two
major organs that need detoxified regularly to allow them to function properly and prevent disease
from occurring. When you aren't filling the body with food constantly, the body uses the energy
usually used to digest to now purify the body. Fasting cleanses the blood stream and helps alkalize the
body resulting in better health. Keeping an alkaline body, building up your immune system and
cleansing the toxins out on a regular basis is of utmost importance to rid disease from the body and stay
healthy for life.
The Bible describes several different fasts of different lengths and for different purposes.
1. The Esther Fast- is a three-day crisis fast. It is a total fast from all food and liquids for three

days. Many people choose this fast when they find themselves in difficult position, needing to
hear God's voice for clear instruction. If you are not in good health, this should never be done
without the supervision of your health provider.
2. The Daniel Fast, which is popular among many churches today, and is generally lasts from 10 to
21 days. It is named after the biblical Daniel and his Hebrew companions who chose to eat
God's foods instead of the rich foods offered to them. Their results were amazing and they
continued on this diet for three years. (See Daniel 1:5, 14-16).
3. Moses and Jesus completed a 40 day fast and many will honor this in a 40 day liquid fast
consuming water and juices. This fast should only be done under the supervision of your health
care provider and never done more than once every few years. Shorter versions, 2-10 days, can
be done a few times a year.
4. Addictions fasts are very popular to eliminate those things that keep you in bondage such as
caffeine, soda, sweets, alcohol, etc. A good time frame for this type of fast is from 2-8 weeks.
It is a very good way to break free from food addictions or habits and to launch a healthier
lifestyle.
I have participated in rigorous fasts and detoxes like the 60-day liquid fast and a week long juice
fast for a physical and spiritual cleansing. I dont recommend this for most people unless you are
medically supervised. Depending on your level of health and if you have never done a fast before, I
recommend starting with a 2 or 3 day juice fast. Always however, consult your primary health provider
prior to doing either of these fasts.
Detoxification is a process of cleansing and removing toxins and impurities from the body and
cleaning the blood. The body eliminates toxins through the kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymph and skin.
When your body is filled with toxins, impurities aren't properly filtered and every cell in the body is
adversely affected. Two day detoxes are gentle enough not to interfere with your bodys function, but

powerful enough to create significant shifts in your body and begin the detoxification process.
Before you start a detox or fast, I recommend testing your pH level. Monitoring the pH of your
urine gives vital clues as to what is going on in the body. Urine pH indicates the environmental
conditions, in which cells live and function. We live and die at the cellular level. The closer the pH is
to 7.35-7.45, the higher you're level of health and well being and your ability to resist states of disease.
Detoxing can allow your body to achieve a healthy pH. One of the best 2 day detox programs is to
consume 4-6 eight ounce servings of fresh carrot juice per day, each with a teaspoon of spirulina green
powder mixed in. In addition, add a half of a teaspoon of chlorella to the first glass of juice each day.
Chlorella is a powerful detoxifier. You may experience detox symptoms such as sneezing and runny
nose when you first begin taking it, particularly if you are quite toxic or youre not used to consuming a
lot of greens. In addition to taking the chlorella eat plenty of fiber, including brown rice and
organically-grown fresh fruits and vegetables such as beets, radishes, artichokes, cabbage, broccoli, and
seaweed which are excellent detoxifying foods. Next cleanse and protect the liver by taking herbs such
as dandelion root, burdock and milk thistle, and drinking plenty of distilled water and green tea. You
can continue the spirulina and a small amount of chlorella daily as part of your regular health care
program even after the two day detox.
Test your pH first thing in the morning after your detox program. It is actually a wise choice to
always test your pH once a week to make sure it is in the safe range, whether in the midst of a detox
program or not. Pick a day of the week and make it a part of your regular schedule to test it first thing
in the morning on that day each week. Testing your body's pH is quite simple and inexpensive. You
will need pH test strips calibrated in two-tenths increments to get an accurate reading. Paper that
registers between 5.5 and 8.0 is suitable for most people. If your reading is on the acidic side even
after a detox program, you will need to continue on regimen of eating alkalizing foods until your pH
falls into a safe range. If what you eat varies greatly from day to day, you may not get an accurate

reading, thus it is important to stick to alkaline foods such as vegetables for awhile. You need to create
a baseline by eating similar foods during your initial testing period.
After a fast or detox, be kind to your body and don't jump right into eating a lot of heavy or hard to
digest foods. Do not eat something canned or processed in any way. Stay away from any refined foods
or seasonings for as long as you possibly can. Even seeds and nuts should be reintroduced slowly.
Begin with an apple, a smoothie or some warm vegetable soup. Fasting re-educates your taste buds,
stops you from craving junk, and helps you appreciate natural foods. Use it as an opportunity to break
away from poor quality foods. I suggest reading Ted Morter's book, Your Health, Your Choice for a
greater understanding on pH testing and importance of keeping an alkaline body.